Here are the earth-saving steps we’ve taken to make PedalPGH a more sustainable cycling event in Pittsburgh
We are proud to announce that PedalPGH 2025, through our many efforts, was designated as a Zero Waste Event by the Pennsylvania Resource Council (PRC), and we are committed to doing it again this year on August 30th 2026!
In 2025, we hosted more than 3,000 participants and their many supporters at this annual charity bike ride. It takes a great deal of hard work and planning to produce a sustainable event, but we are committed to setting an example for the surrounding community and other events when it comes to environmental responsibility.
PedalPGH is powered by community, and every participant helps move us closer to our mission of making biking and walking a commonplace part of life for all Pittsburghers.
Why Zero Waste Matters
International standards define Zero Waste as having a diversion weight of 90% or above. This means that 90% or more of disposable items and trash weren’t taken to the landfill but were instead, recycled, composted, reused and/or was rescued food.
During PedalPGH 2025, with the help of PRC, we were able to reach a 90.18% diversion weight.
Through our careful measures and procedures we were able to save approximately 1,632.85 lbs of waste that would have otherwise been placed into a landfill. Every year we have been putting more measures into place implementing our zero waste strategy and every year our landfill waste has been decreasing. We are confident this trend will carry on into 2026 PedalPGH and many years to come and would like to thank PRC for helping us make this possible.
Our Waste Reduction Efforts
Since 2013 our team has been working with the PRC to reduce waste at our PedalPGH event. PRC is a statewide environmental organization focused on waste reduction, recycling, and watershed protection with one goal in mind, creating a Pennsylvania where nothing is wasted. Achieving a zero waste event doesn’t happen by accident. It requires planning before the first rider arrives, teamwork throughout the day, and careful cleanup after the event. Here are some of the steps taken to help PedalPGH reduce its environmental impact:
- Planned recycling, composting, and waste collection before the event to ensure the right systems were in place.
- Set up clearly labeled waste stations throughout the event so riders and volunteers could easily sort their waste.
- Monitored waste stations during the event, helping attendees place materials in the correct recycling, compost, or landfill bins.
- Collected and sorted waste from setup through teardown to maximize the amount of material that could be recycled or composted.
- Ensured all collected materials were transported to the appropriate recycling, composting, and landfill facilities after the event.
Following all of these procedures allowed us to reach some pretty amazing stats.
- Recycling was 595.55 pounds total or 33% of all waste.
- Food redistribution accounted for 125 lbs total or 7% of all waste.
- Compostables were 884.8 lbs total or 49% of all waste.
- Items left behind such as clothing were collected for reuse accounting for 27.5 lbs or 1% of all waste.
How our efforts will continue
This year we will continue our efforts to maintain PedalPGH as a Zero Waste event. We will have easily available waste stations that are clearly marked and make sure the waste is sorted properly. This will take careful planning before, during and after the event. We will continue to evaluate our waste management efforts after the event to identify opportunities for improvement and further reduce our environmental impact in future years. We strive to make PedalPGH not just a safe environment and the community but also for the world around us.
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